Periodic ambient waveform analysis for dynamic device configuration

ABSTRACT

Client devices periodically capture ambient audio waveforms and modify their own device configuration based on the captured audio waveform. In particular embodiments, client devices generate waveform fingerprints and upload the fingerprints to a server for analysis. The server compares the waveform fingerprints to a database of stored waveform fingerprints, and upon finding a match, pushes content or other information to the client device. The fingerprints in the database may be uploaded by other users, and compared to the received client waveform fingerprint based on common location or other social factors. Thus a client&#39;s location may be enhanced if the location of users whose fingerprints match the client&#39;s is known, and, based upon this enhanced location, the server may transmit an instruction to the device to modify its device configuration.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure generally relates to periodically capturing waveformdata using the sensor subsystem of a mobile device and generating afingerprint of the waveform for dynamic device configuration.

BACKGROUND

A social networking system, such as a social networking website, enablesits users to interact with it and with each other through the system.The social networking system may create and store a record, oftenreferred to as a user profile, in connection with the user. The userprofile may include a user's demographic information, communicationchannel information, and personal interest. The social networking systemmay also create and store a record of a user's relationship with otherusers in the social networking system (e.g., social graph), as well asprovide services (e.g., wall-posts, photo-sharing, or instant messaging)to facilitate social interaction between users in the social networkingsystem. A geo-social networking system is a social networking system inwhich geographic services and capabilities are used to enable additionalsocial interactions. User-submitted location data or geo-locationtechniques (e.g., mobile phone position tracking) can allow a geo-socialnetwork to connect and coordinate users with local people or events thatmatch their interests. For example, users can check-in to a place usinga mobile client application by providing a name of a place (or selectinga place from a pre-established list of places). The geo-socialnetworking system, among other things, can record information about theuser's presence at the place and possibly provide this information toother users of the geo-social networking system.

SUMMARY

Particular embodiments relate to a geo-social networking system thatincludes features directed to automatically adjusting mobile devicesettings based upon ambient audio conditions. This disclosure alsorelates to adjusting mobile device settings based on social datacalculated from periodic uploads of waveform data from a plurality ofusers of the geo-social networking system. These and other features,aspects, and advantages of the disclosure are described in more detailbelow in the detailed description and in conjunction with the followingfigures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an example social networking environment.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example user device.

FIG. 3 illustrates the example data sources the social networking systemmay utilize to determine whether to and to what setting to adjust thesettings of a mobile device.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of three users of the social networkingsystem whose self-reported geographic locations are in the samevicinity.

FIG. 4A illustrates an example portion of a social graph representingthe three users of FIG. 3

FIG. 5 illustrates an example method of adjusting device settings basedon captured ambient audio searched against online databases.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example method of adjusting device settings basedon social information.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example computer system.

DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

The invention is now described in detail with reference to a fewembodiments thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In thefollowing description, numerous specific details are set forth in orderto provide a thorough understanding of the present disclosure. It isapparent, however, to one skilled in the art, that the presentdisclosure may be practiced without some or all of these specificdetails. In other instances, well known process steps and/or structureshave not been described in detail in order not to unnecessarily obscurethe present disclosure. In addition, while the disclosure is describedin conjunction with the particular embodiments, it should be understoodthat this description is not intended to limit the disclosure to thedescribed embodiments. To the contrary, the description is intended tocover alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be includedwithin the spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined by the appendedclaims.

A social networking system, such as a social networking website, enablesits users to interact with it, and with each other through, the system.Typically, to become a registered user of a social networking system, anentity, either human or non-human, registers for an account with thesocial networking system. Thereafter, the registered user may log intothe social networking system via an account by providing, for example, acorrect login ID or username and password. As used herein, a “user” maybe an individual (human user), an entity (e.g., an enterprise, business,or third party application), or a group (e.g., of individuals orentities) that interacts or communicates with or over such a socialnetwork environment.

When a user registers for an account with a social networking system,the social networking system may create and store a record, oftenreferred to as a “user profile”, in connection with the user. The userprofile may include information provided by the user and informationgathered by various systems, including the social networking system,relating to activities or actions of the user. For example, the user mayprovide his name, profile picture, contact information, birth date,gender, marital status, family status, employment, education background,preferences, interests, and other demographical information to beincluded in his user profile. The user may identify other users of thesocial networking system that the user considers to be his friends. Alist of the user's friends or first degree contacts may be included inthe user's profile. Connections in social networking systems may be inboth directions or may be in just one direction. For example, if Bob andJoe are both users and connect with each another, Bob and Joe are eachconnections of the other. If, on the other hand, Bob wishes to connectto Sam to view Sam's posted content items, but Sam does not choose toconnect to Bob, a one-way connection may be formed where Sam is Bob'sconnection, but Bob is not Sam's connection. Some embodiments of asocial networking system allow the connection to be indirect via one ormore levels of connections (e.g., friends of friends). Connections maybe added explicitly by a user, for example, the user selecting aparticular other user to be a friend, or automatically created by thesocial networking system based on common characteristics of the users(e.g., users who are alumni of the same educational institution). Theuser may identify or bookmark websites or web pages he visits frequentlyand these websites or web pages may be included in the user's profile.

The user may provide information relating to various aspects of the user(such as contact information and interests) at the time the userregisters for an account or at a later time. The user may also updatehis or her profile information at any time. For example, when the usermoves, or changes a phone number, he may update his contact information.Additionally, the user's interests may change as time passes, and theuser may update his interests in his profile from time to time. A user'sactivities on the social networking system, such as frequency ofaccessing particular information on the system, may also provideinformation that may be included in the user's profile. Again, suchinformation may be updated from time to time to reflect the user'smost-recent activities. Still further, other users or so-called friendsor contacts of the user may also perform activities that affect or causeupdates to a user's profile. For example, a contact may add the user asa friend (or remove the user as a friend). A contact may also writemessages to the user's profile pages—typically known as wall-posts. Auser may also input status messages that get posted to the user'sprofile page.

A social network system may maintain social graph information, which cangenerally model the relationships among groups of individuals, and mayinclude relationships ranging from casual acquaintances to closefamilial bonds. A social network may be represented using a graphstructure. Each node of the graph corresponds to a member of the socialnetwork. Edges connecting two nodes represent a relationship between twousers. In addition, the degree of separation between any two nodes isdefined as the minimum number of hops required to traverse the graphfrom one node to the other. A degree of separation between two users canbe considered a measure of relatedness between the two users representedby the nodes in the graph.

A social networking system may support a variety of applications, suchas photo sharing, on-line calendars and events. For example, the socialnetworking system may also include media sharing capabilities. Forexample, the social networking system may allow users to postphotographs and other multimedia files to a user's profile, such as in awall post or in a photo album, both of which may be accessible to otherusers of the social networking system. Social networking system may alsoallow users to configure events. For example, a first user may configurean event with attributes including time and date of the event, locationof the event and other users invited to the event. The invited users mayreceive invitations to the event and respond (such as by accepting theinvitation or declining it). Furthermore, social networking system mayallow users to maintain a personal calendar. Similarly to events, thecalendar entries may include times, dates, locations and identities ofother users.

The social networking system may also support a privacy model. A usermay or may not wish to share his information with other users orthird-party applications, or a user may wish to share his informationonly with specific users or third-party applications. A user may controlwhether his information is shared with other users or third-partyapplications through privacy settings associated with his user profile.For example, a user may select a privacy setting for each user datumassociated with the user and/or select settings that apply globally orto categories or types of user profile information. A privacy settingdefines, or identifies, the set of entities (e.g., other users,connections of the user, friends of friends, or third party application)that may have access to the user datum. The privacy setting may bespecified on various levels of granularity, such as by specifyingparticular entities in the social network (e.g., other users),predefined groups of the user's connections, a particular type ofconnections, all of the user's connections, all first-degree connectionsof the user's connections, the entire social network, or even the entireInternet (e.g., to make the posted content item index-able andsearchable on the Internet). A user may choose a default privacy settingfor all user data that is to be posted. Additionally, a user mayspecifically exclude certain entities from viewing a user datum or aparticular type of user data.

Social networking system may maintain a database of information relatingto geographic locations or places. Places may correspond to variousphysical locations, such as restaurants, bars, train stations, airportsand the like. Some places may correspond to larger regions thatthemselves contain places—such as a restaurant or a gate location in anairport. In one implementation, each place can be maintained as a hubnode in a social graph or other data structure maintained by the socialnetworking system, as described in U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/863,181, which is incorporated by reference herein for all purposes.Social networking system may allow users to access information regardingeach place using a client application (e.g., a browser) hosted by awired or wireless station, such as a laptop, desktop or mobile device.For example, social networking system may serve web pages (or otherstructured documents) to users that request information about a place.In addition to user profile and place information, the social networkingsystem may track or maintain other information about the user. Forexample, the social networking system may support geo-social networkingsystem functionality including one or more location-based services thatrecord the user's location. For example, users may access the geo-socialnetworking system using a special-purpose client application hosted by amobile device of the user (or a web- or network-based application usinga browser client). The client application may automatically accessGlobal Positioning System (GPS) or other geo-location functionssupported by the mobile device and report the user's current location tothe geo-social networking system. In addition, the client applicationmay support geo-social networking functionality that allows users tocheck-in at various locations and communicate this location to otherusers. A check-in to a given place may occur when a user is physicallylocated at a place and, using a mobile device, access the geo-socialnetworking system to register the user's presence at the place. A usermay select a place from a list of existing places near to the user'scurrent location or create a new place. The user may also providecomments in a text string when checking in to a given place. The usermay also identify one or more other users in connection with a check-in(such as friends of a user) and associate them with the check-in aswell. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/584,614, which is incorporatedby reference herein for all purposes, describes a system that allows afirst user to check-in other users at a given place. An entry includinga comment and a time stamp corresponding to the time the user checked inmay be displayed to other users. For example, a record of the user'scheck-in activity may be stored in a database. Social networking systemmay select one or more records associated with check-in activities ofusers at a given place and include such check-in activity in web pages(or other structured documents) that correspond to a given place. Forexample, social networking system may select the check-in activityassociated with the friends or other social contacts of a user thatrequests a page corresponding to a place. U.S. application Ser. No.12/858,817, incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes,describes an example geo-social networking system that can be used inconnection with various embodiments of the present invention. Thecheck-in activity may also be displayed on a user profile page and innews feeds provided to users of the social networking system.

Still further, a special purpose client application hosted on a mobiledevice of a user may be configured to continuously capture location dataof the mobile device and send the location data to social networkingsystem. In this manner, the social networking system may track theuser's location and provide various recommendations to the user relatedto places that are proximal to the user's path or that are frequented bythe user. In one implementation, a user may opt in to thisrecommendation service, which causes the client application toperiodically post location data of the user to the social networkingsystem.

Particular embodiments of the special purpose client application hostedon a mobile device of a user may be configured to continuously orperiodically capture ambient audio waveform data using a microphone orsensor subsystem in the mobile device. In particular embodiments, themobile device may perform waveform analysis on the ambient audio, andadjust the device settings, such as the ringer volume or vibrate mode,based upon the ambient waveform data. In particular embodiments, theclient device may automatically match the ringer volume to match orslightly exceed the ambient audio level, thereby increasing theprobability that the ringer is audible in noisy environments andappropriate in quiet environments. In particular embodiments, theself-determined location of the mobile device may be utilized to adjustthe device settings. For example, if a user's GPS indicates he is in amovie theatre, the device may automatically turn off its ringer.

In particular embodiments, the mobile device may generate a waveformfingerprint of the captured ambient waveform for compact,bandwidth-efficient transmission to the social networking system. Inparticular embodiments, received waveform fingerprints may be matched toa database of object waveforms. For example, if a user is in aparticular location and the waveform fingerprint uploaded by his or hermobile device matches the fingerprint of a particular song stored in anaudio database, the social networking system may determine that the useris currently listening to the song.

In particular embodiments, a combination of database information,waveform matching, and the user's GPS data may be utilized to adjust theuser's device settings. For example, GPS devices often do not functionindoors. Thus, a user's last reported location may be in the vicinityof, but not in, a movie theatre. If the reported location of a userdevice is near a movie theatre, and the user's waveform fingerprintmatches the soundtrack of a particular movie, the social networkingsystem may access an online database of the show times for the theatrein the user's vicinity. Based off the timestamp from the uploadedwaveform fingerprint, the matched movie, and the GPS location, thesocial network may determine that the user is watching, for example, the5:30 PM showing of “True Grit” at AMC 30. Thus the device mayautomatically turn off its ringer.

Still further, particular embodiments allow the social networking systemto receive waveform fingerprints from a client or mobile device, andperform analysis on the waveform fingerprints to provide enhanced socialfunctions to the user of the device. In particular embodiments, thedetermined location of the client device may be enhanced throughwaveform analysis. For example, if a user is in a particular venue, thewaveform fingerprints captured by his mobile device will match thewaveform fingerprints uploaded by other users. If any of the otherusers' locations converge, or if one of the users makes an expliciton-network statement that he or she is at the venue, either through acheck-in operation, registering for an event, or a comment, the socialnetworking system may update and enhance the user's inaccuratelydetermined position. In particular embodiments, the mobile device mayadjust its settings based on the received location from the socialnetworking system.

In particular embodiments, information from the social network may beleveraged to adjust device settings. In particular embodiments,information from the user's profile and actions on the social networkmay be utilized to adjust the user's device settings. For example, if auser checks-in to a public library, the device may automatically turnoff its ringer. Alternatively, if the user checks in or is tagged at asporting event, the device may increase its ringer volume. Additionally,information can be leveraged from other users of the social networkingsystem. For example, if multiple users are determined, through waveformanalysis, to be in the same location, and one of the users gives asignal as to the type of the event, either by way of commenting,checking-in, updating his or her status, tagging, etc, then all theusers determined to be in that location may have their device settingsautomatically changed.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example social networking system. In particularembodiments, the social networking system may store user profile dataand social graph information in user profile database 101. In particularembodiments, the social networking system may store user event data inevent database 102. For example, a user may register a new event byaccessing a client application to define an event name, a time and alocation, and cause the newly created event to be stored in eventdatabase 102. In particular embodiments, the social networking systemmay store user privacy policy data in privacy policy database 103. Inparticular embodiments, the social networking system may storegeographic and location data in location database 104. In particularembodiments, social networking system may store audio waveforms or audiowaveform fingerprints for various songs, tv shows, soundtracks, movies,performances, and the like in audio database 105. In particularembodiments, databases 101, 102, 103, 104, and 105 may be operablyconnected to the social networking system's front end. In particularembodiments, social networking system also includes waveform matchingapplication 118, that matches uploaded waveform fingerprints withwaveforms or waveform fingerprints stored in audio database 105.

In particular embodiments, the front end 120 may interact with clientdevice 122 through network cloud 121. Client device 122 is generally acomputer or computing device including functionality for communicating(e.g., remotely) over a computer network. Client device 122 may be adesktop computer, laptop computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), in-or out-of-car navigation system, smart phone or other cellular or mobilephone, or mobile gaming device, among other suitable computing devices.Client device 122 may execute one or more client applications, such as aweb browser (e.g., Microsoft Windows Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox,Apple Safari, Google Chrome, and Opera, etc.) or special-purpose clientapplication (e.g., Facebook for iPhone, etc.), to access and viewcontent over a computer network. Front end 120 may include web or HTTPserver functionality, as well as other functionality, to allow users toaccess the social networking system. Network cloud 121 generallyrepresents a network or collection of networks (such as the Internet ora corporate intranet, or a combination of both) over which clientdevices 122 may access the social network system.

In particular embodiments, location database 104 may store aninformation base of places, where each place includes a name, ageographic location and meta information (such as the user thatinitially created the place, reviews, comments, check-in activity data,and the like). Places may be created by administrators of the systemand/or created by users of the system. For example, a user may registera new place by accessing a client application to define a place name andprovide a geographic location and cause the newly created place to beregistered in location database 104. As discussed above, a created placemay correspond to a hub node, which an administrator can claim forpurposes of augmenting the information about the place and for creatingads or other offers to be delivered to users. In particular embodiments,system front end 120 may construct and serve a web page of a place, asrequested by a user. In some embodiments, a web page of a place mayinclude selectable components for a user to “like” the place or check into the place. In particular embodiments, location database 104 may storegeo-location data identifying a real-world geographic location of a userassociated with a check-in. For example, a geographic location of anInternet connected computer can be identified by the computer's IPaddress. For example, a geographic location of a cell phone equippedwith cellular, Wi-Fi and/or GPS capabilities can be identified by celltower triangulation, Wi-Fi positioning, and/or GPS positioning. Inparticular embodiments, location database 104 may store a geographiclocation and additional information of a plurality of places. Forexample, a place can be a local business, a point of interest (e.g.,Union Square in San Francisco, Calif.), a college, a city, or a nationalpark. For example, a geographic location of a place (e.g., a localcoffee shop) can be an address, a set of geographic coordinates(latitude and longitude), or a reference to another place (e.g., “thecoffee shop next to the train station”). For example, a geographiclocation of a place with a large area (e.g., Yosemite National Park) canbe a shape (e.g., a circle, or a polygon) approximating the boundary ofthe place and/or a centroid of the shape. For example, additionalinformation of a place can be business hours, photos, or user reviews ofthe place. In particular embodiments, location database 104 may store auser's location data. For example, a user can create a place (e.g., anew restaurant or coffee shop) and the social networking system canstore the created place in location database 104. For example, locationdatabase 104 may store a user's check-in activities. For example,location database 104 may store a user's geographic location provided bythe user's GPS-equipped mobile device. In particular embodiments, thesocial networking system may calculate one or more routes of a userbased on the user's user profile information, check-in activities,and/or geographic location data reported by a client application (seeabove) and store the one or more routes in location database 104. Forexample, the social networking system can calculate a “commute route” ofa user between the user's home and work (as described in the user's userprofile information stored in user profile database 101) by using amapping service application such as Google Map, or by using geographiclocation data points from the user's GPS-equipped mobile phone while theuser is driving to work.

Waveform matching application 118 matches waveforms or waveformfingerprints uploaded by client devices 122 to waveforms or waveformfingerprints in audio database 105. In particular embodiments, waveformmatching application utilizes feature detection using Fast FourierTransforms (FFTs) or Direct Cosine Transforms (DCTs). In particularembodiments, cross correlation in either the frequency or time domain isutilized for waveform matching. In particular embodiments, dynamicwaveform matching (DWM) may be utilized to shift the waveforms on thetime axis. In particular embodiments, waveform matching application 118utilizes audio fingerprinting of the waveform files in audio database105. This disclosure contemplates any suitable method or algorithm forwaveform or waveform fingerprint matching.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example client device 122. In particularembodiments, client device 122 may be a smart phone (e.g., iPhone orBlackberry), which is a mobile telephone that offers more advancedcomputing ability and connectivity than a traditional mobile phone. Itmay be considered as a handheld computer integrated with a mobile phone.In particular embodiments, client device 122 may be a netbook or tabletcomputer (e.g., iPad). In particular embodiments, client device 122 maybe connected to a network through a wireless connection.

In particular embodiments, client device 122 may include hardware 210and software 220. In particular embodiments, hardware 210 may includeany number of hardware components such as, for example and withoutlimitation, processor 211, memory 212, storage 213, transceiver 214,input/output device 215 (e.g., display, touch screen, keypad,microphone, speaker, etc.), camera 216, global positioning system (GPS)sensor 217, sensors hub 218, notification control switch 219, RFIDreader 241, RF sensor 242, accelerometer 243, light sensor 244,microphone 245 (which may be part of input/output block 215) and so on.This disclosure contemplates any suitable hardware components. Inparticular embodiments, some or all of a user's user data may be storedin storage 213.

In particular embodiments, software 220 may include an operating system221, which may include a kernel 231 and/or any number of device drivers232 corresponding to some of the hardware components available on clientdevice 122. Operating system 221 may be selected for client device 122based on the actual type of device client device 122 is. For example, ifclient device 122 is a mobile device (e.g., a smart phone), thenoperating system 221 may be a mobile operating system such as, forexample and without limitation, Microsoft's Windows Mobile, Google'sAndroid, Nokia's Symbian, Apple's iOS, and Samsung's Bada.

In particular embodiments, one or more software applications 223 may behosted and/or executed on client device 122. In particular embodiments,they may be native applications installed and residing on client device122. For example, one application (e.g., Google Maps) may enable adevice user to view a map, search for addresses and businesses, and getdirections; a second application may enable the device user to read,send, and receive emails; a third application (e.g., a web browser) mayenable the device user to browse and search the Internet; a fourthapplication may enable the device user to take photos or record videosusing camera 216; a fifth application may allow the device user toreceive and initiate VoIP and/or cellular network calls, and so on. Inparticular embodiments, there may be a software application (e.g.,notification control 241) that enables the device user to manage thenotifications pushed to client device 122. Each software application 220may have a user interface and may implement one or more specificfunctionalities. Each software application 220 may include one or moresoftware modules implementing the individual functionalities. Theexecutable code of software applications 220, including notificationcontrol 241, may be stored in a computer-readable and non-transitorymedium (e.g., storage 213 or memory 212) on client device 122.

Audio capture application 246 is operably connected to microphone 245and sensor hub 218. In particular embodiments, audio capture application246 continuously captures audio data and converts it into a waveformfingerprint, using audio feature detection algorithms (FFT/DCT/etc.). Inparticular embodiments, audio capture application 246 only periodicallycaptures waveform data and converts the data into waveform fingerprints.In particular embodiments, sensor hub 218 captures and stores waveformdata via microphone 245 and stores the waveforms in storage 213 forlater fingerprint generation by audio capture application 245. Inparticular embodiments, audio capture application 246 runs only when theuser changes location. In particular embodiments, audio captureapplication 246 runs only when the detected sound level exceeds apredetermined number of decibels. This disclosure contemplates anysuitable manner of capturing ambient audio data.

FIG. 3 illustrates the example data sources that may be utilized byclient device 122 or the social networking system to determine whetherto adjust client device 122's settings as well as how to adjust thesettings. Data sources 301-306 may be utilized by client device 122alone, or in any combination with each other, to adjust the devicesettings of client device 122. Ambient audio 301 and self-determineddevice location 302 may be utilized by client device 122 without anyinteraction with the social networking system. For example, a basicmethod of adjusting client device 122's settings is based solely uponambient audio 301. In particular embodiments, client device 122 capturesthe ambient audio waveform and calculates the average ambient noiselevel of the environment (for example, 95 database). In particularembodiments, client device 122 adjusts its ringer volume to match or beslightly louder than the ambient noise level. In particular embodiments,where the ambient noise is above or below a predetermined threshold,client device 122 may turn on vibrate mode.

In particular embodiments, self-determined device location 302 andonline database 306 are utilized in conjunction to adjust the devicesettings. For example, if client device 122 reports a longitude/latitudeposition that is associated with a particular venue, client device 122may adjust its settings based on the type of venue. For example, if theself-determined location of client device 122 is associated with a movietheatre, client device 122 may turn off its ringer, or enable vibratemode. In particular embodiments, online database 306 may be a one ormore servers in the social networking system. In particular embodiments,online database 306 may be an external, third-party database such asGoogle Maps, Yelp, or FourSquare. In particular embodiments, clientdevice 122 accesses online databases 306 without action from the socialnetworking system. In particular embodiments, client device 122 accessesonline databases 306 via the social networking system. This disclosurecontemplates any suitable manner of accessing, and any type of, onlinedatabases 306.

In particular embodiments, explicit location 303 may be utilized inadjusting the device settings of client device 122. Explicit locationsmay be self-declared, such as a check-in, comment, RSVP, tag, etc. bythe user of client device 122, or may be declared by other users whocheck the user in, tag him or her in photos, or the like. For example,the social networking system may determine, from user actions on thesocial network, that client device 122 is in a particular location or ata particular event, and adjust device settings based on thisdetermination. For example, a user may check-in to an event on thesocial network, such as a wedding or a nightclub. Accordingly, thesocial networking system may issue a command to client device 122 torespectively decrease or increase the ringer volume. This disclosurecontemplates any manner of utilizing on-network actions to adjust devicesettings.

In particular embodiments, waveform-based location 304 may be utilizedto adjust device settings. For example, if the audio waveformfingerprints uploaded by client device 122 match the audio waveformfingerprints uploaded by other users, the social networking system maycorrect client device 122's location, and adjust the device settingsbased on this corrected location. In particular embodiments, explicitlocation information 303 of other detected users may be utilized toadjust the device settings. This particular embodiment is furtherdescribed with reference to FIGS. 4, 4A, and 5.

In particular embodiments, various combinations of data sources 301-306may be utilized to adjust the settings of client device 122. Forexample, ambient audio 301 may be utilized to match objects in audioobject database 105 to generate a detected audio object 305. Thisdetected audio object may be utilized in conjunction withself-determined location 302, explicit location 303, or waveform-basedlocation 304 to further refine the location of client device 122.Alternatively or additionally, online database 306 may be utilized tofurther refine the location of client device 122 and subsequently adjustthe device settings of client device 122. For example, a user whoseclient device's self-determined location 302 indicates he is in thevicinity of a park may capture and upload an audio waveform fingerprintmatching a song by a band playing at the park. Client device 122 or,alternatively, the social networking system, may access an onlinedatabase 306 which includes a list of performances near the park. If itfinds a match between the detected audio object 305 and one of theperformances in online database 306, the social networking system knowsthat the user is actually at the park and listening to a liveperformance, and may adjust its ringer to “high” and turn on the vibratemode. This disclosure contemplates any suitable combination of datasources 301-306 for adjusting the settings of client device 122.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example geographic area 400 and the self-reportedlocation of various users 410, 420, and 430 of the social networkingsystem on the map. In particular embodiments, the self-reported locationis calculated by a GPS receiver chip in client devices 122. Inparticular embodiments, the location is calculated by TDOA or otherposition determination algorithms. In particular embodiments, geographicarea may be segmented into various quadrants, and user waveformfingerprints may be searched against waveform fingerprints uploaded byother users in the same quadrant. In particular embodiments, the searcharea is based on the amplitude or absolute volume of the uploadedfingerprint. For example, if an uploaded fingerprint indicates that theambient sound in the environment of the user is extremely loud, thesearch area may be decreased, as there would be a larger number of usersreporting the same sound from disparate locations. In particularembodiments, the social networking system first searches thefingerprints uploaded by friends of the user at the same time, based onthe assumption that they are more likely to be together. In particularembodiments, spatial partitioning algorithms may be used to determinethe search space. In particular embodiments, an oct-tree spatialpartitioning algorithm is utilized to address the search space. Inparticular embodiments, a kd-tree is used. in particular embodiments, aquad-tree, or any other grid-based method, is used. This disclosurecontemplates any suitable method of generating a search area forfingerprints uploaded by other users.

In FIG. 4, three users' self-determined locations are plotted on themap. Two users, 410 and 420, report their location to be within a fewmeters of each other, in the Fox Plaza. Another user, 430, reports hisor her location to be across the street, near the “Ma'velous”restaurant. Users 410, 420, and 430 may or may not have explicit edgeconnections between each other on the social graph. For the purposes ofthis example, the social networking system has matched the waveformfingerprints generated by all three users.

FIG. 4A illustrates an example portion of a social graph including user410, represented by user node 1, user 420, represented by user node 2,and user 430, represented by user node 3. Because the waveformfingerprints from all three users match, the social networking systemmay assume that they are in the same general vicinity. In particularembodiments, the social networking system takes into account theamplitude of all three waveform fingerprints. For example, if all threewaveform fingerprints are at the same volume, and the volume is low, thesocial network may infer that the user location of user 430 isincorrect, and may transmit a corrected location to client device 122 ofuser 430. On the other hand, if all three waveform fingerprints are atthe same volume, and the volume is very high, then the social networkmay not transmit a corrected location.

In FIG. 4A, user node 1 has performed an explicit, on-network action,such as RSVPing to an event, checking-in to a location, or being taggedin a location or event, for an event page, in this case “John and Jane'sWedding.” Thus, the social network immediately knows, upon findingmatching waveform fingerprints to the fingerprints transmitted by usernode 1, that the users transmitting the matching fingerprints are alsoin the same location and attending the same event. Thus, user nodes 2and 3 may be placed at the same location, and a corrected location maybe transmitted to user node 3 (user 430 of FIG. 4). In particularembodiments, the type of event can be used to determine whether to alterthe device settings of the users. For example, given that the socialnetwork knows that user nodes 1, 2, and 3 are attending a wedding, itmay transmit a command to automatically change the client devicesettings to “silent” or “vibrate.”

FIG. 5 illustrates an example method for adjusting device settings basedon ambient waveform capture. At step 501, microphone 245 of clientdevice 122 records an audio waveform. As previously discussed, waveformrecording may be carried out by processor 211 running audio captureapplication 246, or low-power processor in sensor hub 218. In particularembodiments, client device 122 constantly records the ambient audio andstores it in storage 213. In particular embodiments, client device 122periodically records ambient audio for analysis. In particularembodiments, client device 122 records the ambient audio whenever achange in position is detected via GPS sensor 217 or other locationdetermination algorithms. In particular embodiments, client device 122captures the ambient audio whenever the audio exceeds a certain volume.In particular embodiments, audio capture step 501 is triggered by userinteraction with the social network, such as using a social networkingapplication, viewing the social networking website, or checking-in to alocation. This disclosure contemplates any suitable manner of initiatingor timing audio capture.

At Step 502, audio capture application 246 performs feature detection onthe waveform and analyzes waveform characteristics, also referred to asthe “waveform DNA.” Feature detection step 502 may include, inparticular embodiments, identifying spikes in the audio waveform,predominance or lack of a particular frequency band, or other trends inwaveform amplitude. In particular embodiments, the feature detection isimplemented via an FFT or DCT. In particular embodiments, otherfrequency-domain transforms may be utilized to identify keycharacteristics of the waveform, such as how much treble or bass ispresent in the waveform. In particular embodiments, audio captureapplication 246 utilizes a discrete wavelet transform. In particularembodiments, audio capture application 246 utilizes a short-time fouriertransform. In particular embodiments, audio capture application 246detects a fundamental frequency of the waveform. In particularembodiments, audio capture application 246 filters noise components fromthe captured waveform. In particular embodiments, audio captureapplication 246 utilizes a form of event onset detection to create abeat model for the captured waveform. In particular embodiments, audiocapture application 246 generates a beat histogram for the waveform.This disclosure contemplates any suitable method or algorithm for audiowaveform feature detection.

At Step 503, an audio “fingerprint” is generated for one or morewaveforms. The fingerprint is a small robust representation thatsummarizes the waveform or collection of waveforms. For example, inparticular embodiments, waveforms may be captured and analyzedperiodically, at one sample per second. Each waveform captured may beanalyzed for feature detection, and audio capture application 246 mayaggregate a number of waveforms having similar features (perhaps 100-200waveforms) and generate a fingerprint for the aggregate waveformrepresenting a song, video, or soundtrack to a movie. In particularembodiments, audio capture application 246 uses vector quantization togenerate representative vectors as the waveform fingerprint. Inparticular embodiments, audio capture application 246 utilizesspectrogram peaks, such as those used in the Shazam song recognitionsoftware, as the captured waveform fingerprint. Techniques forgenerating waveform fingerprints are well-known in the art. Thisdisclosure contemplates any suitable manner of generating fingerprintsfor the captured waveform or waveforms.

At Step 504, client device 122 transmits the fingerprint generated inStep 503 to a server. In particular embodiments, the server is thesystem front end 120 of the social networking system. In particularembodiments, client device 122 transmits the fingerprint directly to oneor more servers running audio matching application 118. This disclosurecontemplates any suitable mechanism of transmitting the waveformfingerprints to audio matching application 118. The one or more serversrunning audio matching application 118 receive the transmittedfingerprint at Step 505.

At Step 506, the received fingerprint is searched against a database offingerprints stored in audio database 105. In particular embodiments,audio database 105 stores fingerprints of various different formats, sothat fingerprints generated by a different method may still be comparedto the stored fingerprints. In particular embodiments, audio database105 stores waveforms, and the fingerprints for the stored waveforms aredynamically generated. If no matches are found, the process ends at Step512.

If a match is found, at Step 507, information relating to the objectassociated with the matching fingerprint is pulled from the socialnetworking system. In particular embodiments, this information is storedin audio database 105. In particular embodiments, the information may bestored in a separate object or node database in the social networkingsystem. In particular embodiments, the information may be metadataattached to the waveform stored in audio database 105. The informationmay comprise general characteristics, such as the artist, song title,album title, date of recording, etc., and social characteristics, suchas how many of the user's friends have “liked”, commented on, orotherwise interacted with the object. In particular embodiments, theinformation may be other songs performed by the artist, or other typesof music in the genre. This disclosure contemplates any type ofinformation related to the object associated with the matching waveformfingerprint.

At Step 508, the social networking system searches its own internal orthird-party online databases for location information relating to thedetected object. For example, because the social networking system isaware of client device 122's self-determined location, social networkingsystem may enhance the location of client device 122 by matching thedetected audio object with entries in online audio databases associatedwith the general vicinity. For example, absent an explicit on-networkstatement that a user is in a movie theatre, the social networkingsystem traditionally had no way of determining whether a user was in amovie theatre or near a movie theatre. However, if the social networkingsystem may match the audio waveform fingerprint captured by clientdevice 122 to a particular film, and the particular film and clientdevice 122 location to a listing of showtimes for a theatre near theclient device 122's location, the social networking system may bepositive that the user is watching a particular movie at a particulartheatre.

At Step 509, the server transmits the information to client device 122,and at Step 510, the information is received at client device 122.Client device 122 at Step 511 may then adjust its own device settings,such as reducing the ringer volume or enabling a vibrate mode.

Audio object database 105 is not limited to songs. For example, thesocial networking system may determine whether a particular user iswatching a movie or TV program. In particular embodiments, audio objectdatabase 105 stores a fingerprint for each user of the social network'svoice. Thus, it is possible to adjust device settings based on thedetected voice of a particular user based upon predefined rules. Forexample, the user of client device 122 may set an explicit rule thatsets his or her client device 122 to silent mode in the presence of hisor her employer. Thus, if the server matches the detected voice to thevoice of the user's employer in audio database 105, the device mayautomatically enter silent mode.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example method for adjusting device settings basedon an enhanced location of a user based on detected waveforms. Theprocess is substantially identical to the process of FIG. 5 until Step606. In particular embodiments, Steps 606-610 may be performedsubstantially simultaneously or in parallel with Steps 505-509.

At Step 606, audio matching algorithm 246 pulls uploaded waveforms fromthe same general time and area as the uploading user. The location maybe ascertained through GPS coordinates, TDOA, or a self-reportedlocation, such as a check-in. In particular embodiments, the geographicsearch area decreases for areas in which a large number of fingerprintsare being uploaded. In particular embodiments, the search area is basedon the amplitude or absolute volume of the uploaded fingerprint. Forexample, if an uploaded fingerprint indicates that the ambient sound inthe environment of the user is extremely loud, the search area may bedecreased, as there would be a larger number of users reporting the samesound from disparate locations. In particular embodiments, the socialnetworking system first searches the fingerprints uploaded by friends ofthe user at the same time, based on the assumption that they are morelikely to be together. In particular embodiments, the individual usersuploading the fingerprints are plotted onto a map or grid. In such anembodiments, spatial partitioning algorithms may be used to determinethe search space. In particular embodiments, an oct-tree spatialpartitioning algorithm is utilized to address the search space. Inparticular embodiments, a kd-tree is used. in particular embodiments, aquad-tree, or any other grid-based method, is used. This disclosurecontemplates any suitable method of generating a search area forfingerprints uploaded by other users.

At Step 608, upon obtaining a matching fingerprint or fingerprints, thesocial networking system pulls location data associated with the one ormore matching fingerprints. For example, if a particular user's uploadedfingerprints match three other users' uploaded fingerprints, and one ofthe three other users has checked-in to a particular location, then thelocation data for the check-in is pulled and transmitted to the clientdevices of the three users that did not check-in. In particularembodiments, the social networking system may average the geographiclocations, or find the point equidistant to all the locations, of usersuploading matching waveforms. For example, if three other users'uploaded audio fingerprints match the user's uploaded fingerprint, thesocial networking system may calculate a point equidistant to the threeother users' locations. In particular embodiments, the social networkingsystem searches for position outliers, for example if three of the fourusers with matching uploaded fingerprints are extremely close, and oneis several hundred feet away, the social networking system may inferthat the location of the outlier user is inaccurate. At Step 609, thelocation data of Step 608 is transmitted to client device 122, andreceived by client device 122 at Step 610.

At Step 611, client device 122 adjusts its settings based on thereceived location data. In particular embodiments, the settings mayinclude adjusting the volume of the ringer, enabling or disablingvibration, adjusting the brightness of the screen, enabling or disablingvarious wireless connections (such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, WiMax,near-field communications, or cellular radio), locking or unlocking thedevice, enabling an audio recording, or the like. This disclosurecontemplates any suitable manner of modifying device settings.

Particular embodiments may be implemented on one or more computersystems. FIG. 7 illustrates an example computer system 700. Inparticular embodiments, one or more computer systems 700 perform one ormore steps of one or more methods described or illustrated herein. Inparticular embodiments, one or more computer systems 700 providefunctionality described or illustrated herein. In particularembodiments, software running on one or more computer systems 700performs one or more steps of one or more methods described orillustrated herein or provides functionality described or illustratedherein. Particular embodiments include one or more portions of one ormore computer systems 700.

This disclosure contemplates any suitable number of computer systems700. This disclosure contemplates computer system 700 taking anysuitable physical form. As example and not by way of limitation,computer system 700 may be an embedded computer system, a system-on-chip(SOC), a single-board computer system (SBC) (such as, for example, acomputer-on-module (COM) or system-on-module (SOM)), a desktop computersystem, a laptop or notebook computer system, an interactive kiosk, amainframe, a mesh of computer systems, a mobile telephone, a personaldigital assistant (PDA), a server, or a combination of two or more ofthese. Where appropriate, computer system 700 may include one or morecomputer systems 700; be unitary or distributed; span multiplelocations; span multiple machines; or reside in a cloud, which mayinclude one or more cloud components in one or more networks. Whereappropriate, one or more computer systems 700 may perform withoutsubstantial spatial or temporal limitation one or more steps of one ormore methods described or illustrated herein. As an example and not byway of limitation, one or more computer systems 700 may perform in realtime or in batch mode one or more steps of one or more methods describedor illustrated herein. One or more computer systems 700 may perform atdifferent times or at different locations one or more steps of one ormore methods described or illustrated herein, where appropriate.

In particular embodiments, computer system 700 includes a processor 702,memory 704, storage 706, an input/output (I/O) interface 708, acommunication interface 710, and a bus 712. Although this disclosuredescribes and illustrates a particular computer system having aparticular number of particular components in a particular arrangement,this disclosure contemplates any suitable computer system having anysuitable number of any suitable components in any suitable arrangement.

In particular embodiments, processor 702 includes hardware for executinginstructions, such as those making up a computer program. Whereappropriate, processor 702 may include one or more arithmetic logicunits (ALUs); be a multi-core processor; or include one or moreprocessors 702. Although this disclosure describes and illustrates aparticular processor, this disclosure contemplates any suitableprocessor.

In particular embodiments, memory 704 includes main memory for storinginstructions for processor 702 to execute or data for processor 702 tooperate onOne or more memory buses (which may each include an addressbus and a data bus) may couple processor 702 to memory 704. Bus 712 mayinclude one or more memory buses, as described below. In particularembodiments, one or more memory management units (MMUs) reside betweenprocessor 702 and memory 704 and facilitate accesses to memory 704requested by processor 702. In particular embodiments, memory 704includes random access memory (RAM). This RAM may be volatile memory,where appropriate. Where appropriate, this RAM may be dynamic RAM (DRAM)or static RAM (SRAM). Moreover, where appropriate, this RAM may besingle-ported or multi-ported RAM. This disclosure contemplates anysuitable RAM. Memory 704 may include one or more memories 704, whereappropriate. Although this disclosure describes and illustratesparticular memory, this disclosure contemplates any suitable memory.

In particular embodiments, storage 706 includes mass storage for data orinstructions. As an example and not by way of limitation, storage 706may include an HDD, a floppy disk drive, flash memory, an optical disc,a magneto-optical disc, magnetic tape, or a Universal Serial Bus (USB)drive or a combination of two or more of these. Storage 706 may includeremovable or non-removable (or fixed) media, where appropriate. Storage706 may be internal or external to computer system 700, whereappropriate. In particular embodiments, storage 706 is non-volatile,solid-state memory. In particular embodiments, storage 706 includesread-only memory (ROM). This disclosure contemplates mass storage 706taking any suitable physical form. Storage 706 may include one or morestorage control units facilitating communication between processor 702and storage 706, where appropriate. Where appropriate, storage 706 mayinclude one or more storages 706. Although this disclosure describes andillustrates particular storage, this disclosure contemplates anysuitable storage.

In particular embodiments, I/O interface 708 includes hardware,software, or both providing one or more interfaces for communicationbetween computer system 700 and one or more I/O devices. Computer system700 may include one or more of these I/O devices, where appropriate. Oneor more of these I/O devices may enable communication between a personand computer system 700. As an example and not by way of limitation, anI/O device may include a keyboard, keypad, microphone, monitor, mouse,printer, scanner, speaker, still camera, stylus, tablet, touch screen,trackball, video camera, another suitable I/O device or a combination oftwo or more of these. An I/O device may include one or more sensors.This disclosure contemplates any suitable I/O devices and any suitableI/O interfaces 708 for them. Where appropriate, I/O interface 708 mayinclude one or more device or software drivers enabling processor 702 todrive one or more of these I/O devices. I/O interface 708 may includeone or more I/O interfaces 708, where appropriate. Although thisdisclosure describes and illustrates a particular I/O interface, thisdisclosure contemplates any suitable I/O interface.

In particular embodiments, communication interface 710 includeshardware, software, or both providing one or more interfaces forcommunication (such as, for example, packet-based communication) betweencomputer system 700 and one or more other computer systems 700 or one ormore networks. As an example and not by way of limitation, communicationinterface 710 may include a network interface controller (NIC) ornetwork adapter for communicating with an Ethernet or other wire-basednetwork or a wireless NIC (WNIC) or wireless adapter for communicatingwith a wireless network, such as a WI-FI network. This disclosurecontemplates any suitable network and any suitable communicationinterface 710 for it. As an example and not by way of limitation,computer system 700 may communicate with an ad hoc network, a personalarea network (PAN), a local area network (LAN), a wide area network(WAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), or one or more portions of theInternet or a combination of two or more of these. One or more portionsof one or more of these networks may be wired or wireless. As anexample, computer system 700 may communicate with a wireless PAN (WPAN)(such as, for example, a BLUETOOTH WPAN), a WI-FI network, a WI-MAXnetwork, a cellular telephone network (such as, for example, a GlobalSystem for Mobile Communications (GSM) network), or other suitablewireless network or a combination of two or more of these. Computersystem 700 may include any suitable communication interface 710 for anyof these networks, where appropriate. Communication interface 710 mayinclude one or more communication interfaces 710, where appropriate.Although this disclosure describes and illustrates a particularcommunication interface, this disclosure contemplates any suitablecommunication interface.

In particular embodiments, bus 712 includes hardware, software, or bothcoupling components of computer system 700 to each other. Bus 712 mayinclude one or more buses 712, where appropriate. Although thisdisclosure describes and illustrates a particular bus, this disclosurecontemplates any suitable bus or interconnect.

Herein, reference to a computer-readable storage medium encompasses oneor more non-transitory, tangible computer-readable storage mediapossessing structure. As an example and not by way of limitation, acomputer-readable storage medium may include a semiconductor-based orother integrated circuit (IC) (such, as for example, afield-programmable gate array (FPGA) or an application-specific IC(ASIC)), a hard disk, an HDD, a hybrid hard drive (HHD), an opticaldisc, an optical disc drive (ODD), a magneto-optical disc, amagneto-optical drive, a floppy disk, a floppy disk drive (FDD),magnetic tape, a holographic storage medium, a solid-state drive (SSD),a RAM-drive, a SECURE DIGITAL card, a SECURE DIGITAL drive, or anothersuitable computer-readable storage medium or a combination of two ormore of these, where appropriate. Herein, reference to acomputer-readable storage medium excludes any medium that is noteligible for patent protection under 35 U.S.C. §101. Herein, referenceto a computer-readable storage medium excludes transitory forms ofsignal transmission (such as a propagating electrical or electromagneticsignal per se) to the extent that they are not eligible for patentprotection under 35 U.S.C. §101. A computer-readable non-transitorystorage medium may be volatile, non-volatile, or a combination ofvolatile and non-volatile, where appropriate.

This disclosure contemplates one or more computer-readable storage mediaimplementing any suitable storage. In particular embodiments, acomputer-readable storage medium implements one or more portions ofprocessor 702 (such as, for example, one or more internal registers orcaches), one or more portions of memory 704, one or more portions ofstorage 706, or a combination of these, where appropriate. In particularembodiments, a computer-readable storage medium implements RAM or ROM.In particular embodiments, a computer-readable storage medium implementsvolatile or persistent memory. In particular embodiments, one or morecomputer-readable storage media embody software. Herein, reference tosoftware may encompass one or more applications, bytecode, one or morecomputer programs, one or more executables, one or more instructions,logic, machine code, one or more scripts, or source code, and viceversa, where appropriate. In particular embodiments, software includesone or more application programming interfaces (APIs). This disclosurecontemplates any suitable software written or otherwise expressed in anysuitable programming language or combination of programming languages.In particular embodiments, software is expressed as source code orobject code. In particular embodiments, software is expressed in ahigher-level programming language, such as, for example, C, Perl, or asuitable extension thereof. In particular embodiments, software isexpressed in a lower-level programming language, such as assemblylanguage (or machine code). In particular embodiments, software isexpressed in JAVA, C, or C++. In particular embodiments, software isexpressed in Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML), Extensible MarkupLanguage (XML), or other suitable markup language.

Herein, “or” is inclusive and not exclusive, unless expressly indicatedotherwise or indicated otherwise by context. Therefore, herein, “A or B”means “A, B, or both,” unless expressly indicated otherwise or indicatedotherwise by context. Moreover, “and” is both joint and several, unlessexpressly indicated otherwise or indicated otherwise by context.Therefore, herein, “A and B” means “A and B, jointly or severally,”unless expressly indicated otherwise or indicated otherwise by context.

This disclosure encompasses all changes, substitutions, variations,alterations, and modifications to the example embodiments herein that aperson having ordinary skill in the art would comprehend. Similarly,where appropriate, the appended claims encompass all changes,substitutions, variations, alterations, and modifications to the exampleembodiments herein that a person having ordinary skill in the art wouldcomprehend. Moreover, reference in the appended claims to an apparatusor system or a component of an apparatus or system being adapted to,arranged to, capable of, configured to, enabled to, operable to, oroperative to perform a particular function encompasses that apparatus,system, component, whether or not it or that particular function isactivated, turned on, or unlocked, as long as that apparatus, system, orcomponent is so adapted, arranged, capable, configured, enabled,operable, or operative.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: by a computing system,generating a waveform fingerprint based on captured ambient audio data;by the computing system, calculating a self-determined location of thecomputing system; by the computing system, sending the generatedwaveform fingerprint and the self-determined location to a server; bythe computing system, receiving instructions from the server to adjustone or more device settings of the computing system, the instructionsbased at least in part on identifying one or more audio fingerprintsthat match the generated waveform fingerprint and correlating metadataof one or more of the identified audio fingerprints to refine theself-determined location of the computing system; and by the computingsystem, adjusting one or more of the device settings of the computingsystem in accordance with the received instructions.
 2. The method ofclaim 1, wherein adjusting the device settings comprises, by thecomputing system, adjusting a ringer volume of the computing systembased on the refined self-determined location.
 3. The method of claim 1,wherein adjusting the device settings comprises, by the computingsystem, enabling a vibrate mode based on the refined self-determinedlocation.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the metadata comprisesinformation correlating the self-determined location with a particularvenue or geographic location.
 5. The method of claim 1, whereinadjusting one or more of the device settings occurs while the computingsystem is at the self-determined location.
 6. The method of claim 1,wherein calculating the self-determined location is based on locationdata of the computing system or an action on a social network.
 7. Amethod comprising: by one or more computing systems, receiving awaveform fingerprint and a client-determined location from a clientdevice, wherein the waveform fingerprint was generated based on ambientaudio data captured by the client device; by one or more computingsystems, comparing the received waveform fingerprint to a database ofstored waveform fingerprints, each stored waveform fingerprintassociated with an object in an object database; by one or morecomputing systems, finding one or more matching fingerprints from thefingerprint database, wherein the matching fingerprints match thereceived waveform fingerprint; and by one or more computing systems,sending one or more instructions to adjust one or more device settingsof the client device, the instructions based at least in part on thematching fingerprints fingerprint and correlating metadata of one ormore of the identified audio fingerprints to refine theclient-determined location.
 8. The method of claim 7, furthercomprising: by one or more computing systems, searching one or moreexternal databases associated with one or more geographic locations inthe vicinity of the client-determined location; by one or more computingsystems, upon finding a match for the one or more objects associatedwith the one or more matching fingerprints, assigning the geographiclocation associated with the database in which the match was found tothe client-determined location; and wherein the one or more instructionsto adjust one or more device settings is further based on the geographiclocation.
 9. The method of claim 7, wherein the stored waveformfingerprints comprise uploaded waveform fingerprints from one or moreother users represented by nodes on a social network, and furthercomprising: by one or more computing systems, querying a social graphfor location information associated with the one or more other nodeswhose uploaded fingerprints match the received reference data, andwherein the one or more instructions to adjust one or more devicesettings is further based on the location information returned by thesocial graph in response to the query.
 10. The method of claim 7,wherein the location information comprises a check-in to a particulargeographic location.
 11. The method of claim 7, wherein the locationinformation comprises an RSVP to a particular event.
 12. The method ofclaim 7, wherein the one or more instructions are operable to instructthe client device to increase its ringer volume.
 13. The method of claim7, wherein the one or more instructions are operable to instruct theclient device to decrease its ringer volume.
 14. The method of claim 7,wherein the one or more instructions are operable to instruct the clientdevice to enable a vibrate mode.
 15. A non-transitory, computer-readablemedia comprising instructions operable, when executed by one or morecomputing systems, to generate a waveform fingerprint based on capturedambient audio data; calculate a self-determined location of a clientcomputing system; send the generated waveform fingerprint and theself-determined location to a server; receive instructions from theserver to adjust one or more device settings of the client computingsystem, the instructions based at least in part on one or more audiofingerprints that match the generated waveform fingerprint andcorrelating metadata of one or more of the identified audio fingerprintsto refine the self-determined location of the client computing system;and adjust one or more of the device settings of the client computingsystem in accordance with the received instructions.
 16. The media ofclaim 15, wherein the instructions are further operable to adjust aringer volume of the client computing system based on the refinedself-determined location.
 17. The media of claim 15, wherein theinstructions are further operable to enable a vibrate mode based on therefined self-determined location.
 18. The media of claim 15, wherein themetadata comprises information correlating the self-determined locationwith a particular venue or geographic location.
 19. The media of claim15, wherein adjusting one or more of the device settings occurs whilethe client computing device is at the self-determined location.
 20. Themedia of claim 15, wherein calculating the self-determined location isbased on location data of the client computing system or an action on asocial network.